On October 20th, at around 7:30pm, Matt was walking home through Riverside Park when a group of four young men attacked him for his phone, punching him in the head and stabbing him multiple times in the chest, stomach, and leg. Matt was able to fight off his assailants and flee to 139th and Broadway, where strangers stayed with him until an ambulance arrived. From there, he was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside, where he spent three nights in the hospital.

The attack was severe: Matt suffered 5 stab wounds which caused internal bleeding and a dangerous amount of blood loss, something the doctors emphasized could have easily cost him his life. In the fight with his assailants, he also chipped and cracked a tooth. During his hospital stay, he was monitored for internal bleeding and the risk of organ damage.

Since returning home, Matt has been struggling through symptoms of PTSD, intense physical pain, and the emotional shock of what happened. This horrible experience has left him trying to understand how his ordinary walk home from work, one he has taken for nearly 10 years, turned into a fight for his life. He has a long recovery ahead of him and is humbly asking for financial support to help him with his medical bills — ER and hospital care, dental work, and therapy.

Matt is deeply grateful to the people who stayed with him on the street, the first responders and medical staff who provided life saving care, to his friends and loved ones who haven’t left his side, to Zach and Dear Mama, who have continued to provide a livelihood to him throughout this process, and to his partner Amanda who has selflessly cared for him every step of the way. Any support means more than he can say. Thank you for helping Matt steady himself as he works towards healing and recovery.